Schools told to let pupils take water into lessons

Secondary schools have been told to allow pupils to carry water and consume it during lessons because of evidence that it improves their health and academic performance.

Charles Clarke, the Education Secretary, said access to drinking water at a number of points around a school was not sufficient.

"Pupils should be permitted to carry water with them and consumption encouraged both in class and during break and lunch time," said his "healthy living blueprint", published yesterday.

Head teachers have been coming under pressure from pupils and parents to allow drinking during lessons following the successful introduction of the policy in many primary schools. Most have resisted because of the risk of water fights and spillages.

Some say they fear that pupils could insert alcohol in the water bottles or that the policy would cause a stampede for the lavatories.

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Pupils moved around more in secondary schools and were not as closely supervised as they were in primary schools said John Dunford, the general secretary of the Secondary Heads' Association. "Things can happen with water, and not just accidents," he said. While it was important for pupils to have access to water, the logistics of bringing it into lessons had to be explored.

Several studies have claimed that dehydration adversely affects mental performance. This year research claimed that children's ability to learn deteriorated by 10 per cent when they were thirsty, usually in the afternoon.

A study at Leeds University two years ago found that half of children did not drink at school. Dr Trevor Brocklebank, a consultant in paediatrics at the university, found that children's ability to do arithmetic was impaired if they were more than one per cent dehydrated. Pupils were also more prone to headaches, irritability and tiredness.

The healthy schools blueprint, which was also supported by John Reid, the Health Secretary, and Tessa Jowell, the Culture Secretary, urges heads to remove fizzy drinks and crisps from vending machines and replace them with fruit juices, dried and fresh fruit, bread rolls and vegetables.

Paul Ellis, the bursar of John Kitto Community College in Plymouth, Devon, which has implemented a healthy eating policy, said banning crisps and fizzy drinks was not enough.

"Evidence from other schools has shown that if you stop selling them, pupils play truant and go off down the road to get what they want from local shops," he said.

The 1,550 students spend £3,000 a week on products from the vending machines, which also sell water and healthy snacks that are promoted by a pricing policy that raises the cost of products high in salt or sugar.

Fizzy drinks have been removed from sale at Collingwood Technology College in Camberley, Surrey, one of the first "national health promoting" schools, which says students have not only adapted to the healthier options but seek them out.

The logistics of allowing pupils to use water bottles in lessons is being explored following a request from the school council.

"We don't dissuade children from bringing in water but we don't actively encourage it at the moment," said Jerry Oddie, the principal.